I was away in my daughters caravan last week on a site that had serviced pitches..so water was constant from a tap and waste drain provided..no worrying about filling and emptying tanks or running out of water when showering. A shower head with a shut off valve is handy..get wet, turn off the water to wash then back on again to rinse. I also use two aquarolls so its a quick swap when one is empty. Another great video Karen.your good on camera :)
i really like the floorplan of your caravan! dinette, double bed, kitchen with oven, and a dry bath. that is what i need and i hope i can get one similar in japan XD
When you are running shower you are using a mix of the 10 litres of hot water, plus some of your cold water used to adjust the heat. So could get 20-30 litres of warm water or more. Always start shower with cold water barrel full, to save the running around to find more water with soap in eyes :)
Yes, I think part of my problem before was not having the hot water setting on hot, hot, so used up all the semi heated water too quickly! And I've experienced that awkwardness of running out of water part way through before 😂
Hi k If you use the on off tactics it dilutes the hot water in the tank so it will get colder quicker , but I prefer that method as you don’t use as much water
A few weeks ago, for the first time ever...we used the shower in the caravan. We both had a good shower but we turned the shower off when wasn't needed...saving water and giving the heater a lil bit of a chance to "catch-up".....we used less than a full aquaroll (40 litres) I've noticed that our shower-head has a little hole in it, to pull a small amout of air into the water stream, i guess this makes the water go further....which i need cos i'm not exactly petit lol... Pleased to see you re-aquinted with your van :-)
Sounds like you had a good first caravan shower experience! And I'm guessing I used 20L of water in that experiment... which sounds the same for you. I'll definitely need to start doing that 'on/off' shower system.
Travelling K!!!!!! I wish everything goes well there!!!!! I want that you take care a lot!!!! And remember that here in Dominican Republic there is someone always think about you!!!!!
Hi Karen, Just noticed your comment at the very end of this video, that it's taken 3.5 mins for the 10l of water to drain. Had a problem with the sink in our caravan not draining very quickly this weekend, but 3.5min to drain 10l sounds excessive. Cleared our out with a dose of caustic soda & rinsing though with plenty of water & it's cleared loads of gunk out of the pipes & now the sink drains really quickly, might be worth a thought?
Yay progress on the shower - well done K :-). If you use the start-stop shower technique too & if you can use your water heater on gas & electricity at the same time, then it'll have more of a chance of warming the cold water pumped back into the heater (to replace the water taken out by the shower head) so you'll be in there for hours ..... well not quite, but you get my drift!
:-) We've got the same water heater in our Bailey Senator & it recommends having both gas & electric on for showering in the caravan handbook (if you didn't get a handbook with your caravan you can probably download one from: www.swiftgroup.co.uk/owners/handbooks). From memory the gas burner gives out 1.5Kw of energy to heat the water & the electric is just under 1Kw so putting them on together makes quite a difference.
Listen carefully for the sound of the boiler almost boiling, it’ll then click on and off to maintain it as hot as it can be. You know then it’s ready. Mine is the same boiler and on gas it gets bloody hot, so much so the amount of hot vs cold needed at the tap means it does last ages as the amount of cold entering the boiler is smaller
Hi K the boiler will not ignite until the flue way is clear, (take the cover off before using) turn thermostat to its highest setting then you have to dilute the hot water with cold water, stretching the amount of warm water you get (70 degrees C in boiler, comfortable shower around 38 / 42 degrees C. I also leave the electric element on with the gas, heat recovery time is quicker. You said you miss the kettle and toaster. Do you not have a low wattage kettle and toaster? Also a halogen cooker is very useful for cooking as it is also low wattage. Stay safe.
Hi Paul, when you say 'electric element' do you mean your heating with power at the same time? It does make sense to have the hot water at the highest setting... With my kettle and toaster - I now use the grill for toast and have a stove top kettle :)
Yes, booth the electric element and the gas are controlled by two separate thermostats, therefore it is perfectly safe. The Truma heater is dual powered, by gas and electricity. I am a Plumbing & Heating Engineer with my own caravan.
Sorry to jump on but I was just going to comment on the flue cover. I think you said K that you needed to take the cover off for gas water heating AND for the gas heater, although correct me if I’m wrong? This flue is not connected to your gas space heater, so you only have to remove it when heating water by gas, as Paul says it won’t light or stay lit otherwise. Although saying that, in the state it’s in now I doubt it’s still there 😉 We lost one of those covers on the journey home from collecting our last caravan, which was annoying. We’ve since got another caravan and have had it about 15mnths. I had it serviced about a month ago before going away for 2wks in it, and when we arrived on site after a 5hr journey, the first thing I noticed was that I’d now lost the cover from this one! 🙄 Guess the service engineer didn’t pop it back on properly. Never mind, great vid, glad you’re sorted 😊👍🏻
Great stuff with the shower .....Fantastic news about the drill you wont regret it so many uses..if that crack is in fiberglass then its probably just a gelco crack in the outer layer nothing to worry about as for the drill get a socket to fit your jacks makes life so much easier, on my old van i welded a nut on top of the front jockey wheel hey presto attach drill with socket ....electric jockey wheel ...as for water pressure do you notice if you lift the shower head up to say head height the pressure decreases i had that problem and fixed it with a shorter shower hose..also i cant remember but do you have solar panels ?? or a small generator ?
Oh, that's reassuring about the gelco crack!!! It doesn't appear to go all the way through. I was seriously worried. I've already purchased the part to raise and lower the stabilising legs - so much fun!! Lets see if the pressure changes on the shower if it's higher up and thanks for the tip about a shorter hose. I have a solar panel :)
Thought maybe you would be interested in these i came across from another site www.etsy.com/nz/listing/614599397/airstream-bracelet-black-sardonyx?ref=shop_home_active_17
Hi Karen .... Just curious .... But WHY did you just pour the clean water down the drain and into your grey tank ??? you could have just taken it outside and dumped it out on the ground somewhere ... (Not adding it to your grey tank !!)
You need to test your new theory by fitting your old shower head back on.... this will then validate your new found theory.....btw I was shouting at my screen telling you you were putting your new water cap on backwards lol. If you can deal with what life throws at you in a caravan then your going to be set for life. All the best.
Hmmm, testing with the other shower head would help me learn exactly what the problem is... Did you hear me swear when I put the cap on the wrong way? haha
The Eco camel heads are more than worth the money. They allow air in which is used to boost pressure and only use half the amount of water. Your first shower head could of used more water than the heater could cope with in regard to the time it would maintain running warm.
For comparison, I have installed a 25L hot water tank and I get 3.5 minutes of full pressure hot shower out of it. I used a normal household mixer so I can set it to any pressure and easily turn it off and on again while showering without losing the temperature setting. I can easily have a 5 min shower at a slightly lower pressure. No doubt I could use a more efficient head too, but this one is nice and flat (handy when you're tall!). Here's what it looks like at full pressure instagram.com/p/Bkg0Id4nKXB/
Travelling K I’ve only used it once, inside. Gotta finish building the rest of it before an extended trip! I put the shower in the doorway so you could use it outside too or hose things off.
I can but I just need someone that will let me register at their house. But there is always a risk because IF you get checked and you don't actually stay there you're in trouble. And my little van is a tad bit to small to permanently live in.. for me it's to see if I can do it and from there move bigger.. my goal is a big panel van (Iveco daily)
I was away in my daughters caravan last week on a site that had serviced pitches..so water was constant from a tap and waste drain provided..no worrying about filling and emptying tanks or running out of water when showering. A shower head with a shut off valve is handy..get wet, turn off the water to wash then back on again to rinse. I also use two aquarolls so its a quick swap when one is empty.
Another great video Karen.your good on camera :)
That's the perfect set-up! I still haven't managed constant water 😂I do have a 2nd smaller tank as a back-up... If I remember to fill it!!
Hi Karen I think you have cracked it with your shower problem and yes we do have more comforts in a house but you can’t beat caravaning I love it xxx
Thanks Liz - lets see how it goes when I really use it! And I agree - can't beat a caravan :P
i really like the floorplan of your caravan! dinette, double bed, kitchen with oven, and a dry bath. that is what i need and i hope i can get one similar in japan XD
Interesting test. In our caravan i am in and out of the shower as fast as i can because i am worried the hot water is going to run out. Thanks K
Guess I've done the test for you 😜Longer showers from now on?
Travelling K looks like it. Lol
Attractive woman testing a shower yay! Oh......with a bucket and timer! 😀 Hope your UK travelling is going safe and well!
🤣Too funny. Uk is great so far!
When you are running shower you are using a mix of the 10 litres of hot water, plus some of your cold water used to adjust the heat. So could get 20-30 litres of warm water or more. Always start shower with cold water barrel full, to save the running around to find more water with soap in eyes :)
Yes, I think part of my problem before was not having the hot water setting on hot, hot, so used up all the semi heated water too quickly! And I've experienced that awkwardness of running out of water part way through before 😂
Yeah whoop whoop! Shower problem solved!!!! Glad we were able to help xx
Oh you did! Got a lot of tips from that video😂
Hi k
If you use the on off tactics it dilutes the hot water in the tank so it will get colder quicker , but I prefer that method as you don’t use as much water
Hmmmm good to know...
Congratulations on your "STUFF" news story so great well done!
Thank you! Such a novel experience :)
A few weeks ago, for the first time ever...we used the shower in the caravan. We both had a good shower but we turned the shower off when wasn't needed...saving water and giving the heater a lil bit of a chance to "catch-up".....we used less than a full aquaroll (40 litres)
I've noticed that our shower-head has a little hole in it, to pull a small amout of air into the water stream, i guess this makes the water go further....which i need cos i'm not exactly petit lol...
Pleased to see you re-aquinted with your van :-)
Sounds like you had a good first caravan shower experience! And I'm guessing I used 20L of water in that experiment... which sounds the same for you. I'll definitely need to start doing that 'on/off' shower system.
Travelling K!!!!!!
I wish everything goes well there!!!!!
I want that you take care a lot!!!!
And remember that here in Dominican Republic there is someone always think about you!!!!!
Hi Karen, Just noticed your comment at the very end of this video, that it's taken 3.5 mins for the 10l of water to drain. Had a problem with the sink in our caravan not draining very quickly this weekend, but 3.5min to drain 10l sounds excessive. Cleared our out with a dose of caustic soda & rinsing though with plenty of water & it's cleared loads of gunk out of the pipes & now the sink drains really quickly, might be worth a thought?
Yes, I think I do need to clear out the drains! Think there is a bit of a build up 🤢
Yay progress on the shower - well done K :-). If you use the start-stop shower technique too & if you can use your water heater on gas & electricity at the same time, then it'll have more of a chance of warming the cold water pumped back into the heater (to replace the water taken out by the shower head) so you'll be in there for hours ..... well not quite, but you get my drift!
haha I'll have the longest showers! I didn't even think about having the gas and electric turned on at the same time...
:-) We've got the same water heater in our Bailey Senator & it recommends having both gas & electric on for showering in the caravan handbook (if you didn't get a handbook with your caravan you can probably download one from: www.swiftgroup.co.uk/owners/handbooks). From memory the gas burner gives out 1.5Kw of energy to heat the water & the electric is just under 1Kw so putting them on together makes quite a difference.
The funny part is... if I'm using my shower it's probably because I'm off grid and can't plug in :P
D'Oh! - Didn't think of that ;-)
Listen carefully for the sound of the boiler almost boiling, it’ll then click on and off to maintain it as hot as it can be. You know then it’s ready. Mine is the same boiler and on gas it gets bloody hot, so much so the amount of hot vs cold needed at the tap means it does last ages as the amount of cold entering the boiler is smaller
Good to know!! I'll listen carefully in the future.
Hi K the boiler will not ignite until the flue way is clear, (take the cover off before using) turn thermostat to its highest setting then you have to dilute the hot water with cold water, stretching the amount of warm water you get (70 degrees C in boiler, comfortable shower around 38 / 42 degrees C. I also leave the electric element on with the gas, heat recovery time is quicker.
You said you miss the kettle and toaster. Do you not have a low wattage kettle and toaster? Also a halogen cooker is very useful for cooking as it is also low wattage. Stay safe.
Hi Paul, when you say 'electric element' do you mean your heating with power at the same time?
It does make sense to have the hot water at the highest setting...
With my kettle and toaster - I now use the grill for toast and have a stove top kettle :)
Yes, booth the electric element and the gas are controlled by two separate thermostats, therefore it is perfectly safe. The Truma heater is dual powered, by gas and electricity. I am a Plumbing & Heating Engineer with my own caravan.
That's good to know! Thank you :) Handy skills to have!
Sorry to jump on but I was just going to comment on the flue cover. I think you said K that you needed to take the cover off for gas water heating AND for the gas heater, although correct me if I’m wrong? This flue is not connected to your gas space heater, so you only have to remove it when heating water by gas, as Paul says it won’t light or stay lit otherwise. Although saying that, in the state it’s in now I doubt it’s still there 😉 We lost one of those covers on the journey home from collecting our last caravan, which was annoying. We’ve since got another caravan and have had it about 15mnths. I had it serviced about a month ago before going away for 2wks in it, and when we arrived on site after a 5hr journey, the first thing I noticed was that I’d now lost the cover from this one! 🙄 Guess the service engineer didn’t pop it back on properly. Never mind, great vid, glad you’re sorted 😊👍🏻
You just brought the best drill ever i have the same drill.
Oh good - I don't know much about power tools so just went with the one I was recommended by a fellow caravaner 😂
Great stuff with the shower .....Fantastic news about the drill you wont regret it so many uses..if that crack is in fiberglass then its probably just a gelco crack in the outer layer nothing to worry about as for the drill get a socket to fit your jacks makes life so much easier, on my old van i welded a nut on top of the front jockey wheel hey presto attach drill with socket ....electric jockey wheel ...as for water pressure do you notice if you lift the shower head up to say head height the pressure decreases i had that problem and fixed it with a shorter shower hose..also i cant remember but do you have solar panels ?? or a small generator ?
Oh, that's reassuring about the gelco crack!!! It doesn't appear to go all the way through. I was seriously worried.
I've already purchased the part to raise and lower the stabilising legs - so much fun!!
Lets see if the pressure changes on the shower if it's higher up and thanks for the tip about a shorter hose. I have a solar panel :)
Thought maybe you would be interested in these i came across from another site www.etsy.com/nz/listing/614599397/airstream-bracelet-black-sardonyx?ref=shop_home_active_17
Cute! Nice find :)
I have a califont. It works well and it's easy.
Oh, a califont would be fantastic!! A great set-up.
Hi Karen .... Just curious .... But WHY did you just pour the clean water down the drain and into your grey tank ???
you could have just taken it outside and dumped it out on the ground somewhere ... (Not adding it to your grey tank !!)
I also wanted to see how long it took to drain. Plus knowing me, I'd accidentally tip the bucket over while trying to exit the van 😂
Hi Karen, your boiler is made To run with a on line pressure power pump and not with an under fois lump. Check Truma Therme on the net. See you later.
Do you think I have the wrong pump?
You need to test your new theory by fitting your old shower head back on.... this will then validate your new found theory.....btw I was shouting at my screen telling you you were putting your new water cap on backwards lol. If you can deal with what life throws at you in a caravan then your going to be set for life. All the best.
Hmmm, testing with the other shower head would help me learn exactly what the problem is...
Did you hear me swear when I put the cap on the wrong way? haha
The Eco camel heads are more than worth the money. They allow air in which is used to boost pressure and only use half the amount of water. Your first shower head could of used more water than the heater could cope with in regard to the time it would maintain running warm.
I'm seriously thinking of getting one. The first shower head did splutter after a while, so does make sense that it used too much water🤔
Hi Karen, How are you going to fit in the bucket ;-) ATB Glen
😂😂Would be a tight fit
Very funny!
Your new power Dill is jut what you needed. As you ad other power tool that uses the same batters you be making the repairs your self.
I am planning to use that drill for many projects!
Good on you Karen, im a new subscriber, i'll follow your channel with interest. Bob, Lower Hutt.
Hi Bob, that's great to hear! Look forward to hearing how you like the future videos :)
Do you remember when you. Had to replace your tyre pandle
Can you please tell me, What brand shower head did you install
I can't see the brand name, but here is a link to it 😀
www.burnsco.co.nz/shop/boating/plumbing-pumps-toilets/freshwater-systems/shower-handset
For comparison, I have installed a 25L hot water tank and I get 3.5 minutes of full pressure hot shower out of it. I used a normal household mixer so I can set it to any pressure and easily turn it off and on again while showering without losing the temperature setting. I can easily have a 5 min shower at a slightly lower pressure. No doubt I could use a more efficient head too, but this one is nice and flat (handy when you're tall!). Here's what it looks like at full pressure instagram.com/p/Bkg0Id4nKXB/
Wow, that's a decent amount of water coming out! Do you shower in the van or outside?
Travelling K I’ve only used it once, inside. Gotta finish building the rest of it before an extended trip! I put the shower in the doorway so you could use it outside too or hose things off.
Sounds like a great van set-up! When do you think you'll have your extended trip?
Travelling K just waiting to install my benchtops then all the major stuff is done! So soon
Oh, then you're nearly starting your roadtrip! Exciting :)
Did you go through your rig while you were idle?
I checked out a couple of the issues 😀
Woohooo !!! Finally !
haha can't wait to head off and really test it!
Succes! Finally :D
Got there in the end!
@@TravellingK I wish I could live like you in the near future. Maby move to NZ :P
Any luck learning more about the Netherland van restrictions? Hope you manage to permanently live in your van :)
I can but I just need someone that will let me register at their house. But there is always a risk because IF you get checked and you don't actually stay there you're in trouble. And my little van is a tad bit to small to permanently live in.. for me it's to see if I can do it and from there move bigger.. my goal is a big panel van (Iveco daily)
Echo camel...what ...echo camel ..🤣😂😁pip pips and carryon
Crazy name right!
@@TravellingK 😁
Please can you tell me caravan parts from
What parts are you interested in?
You have to learn to be frugal with the water when you are fetching and carrying it about 🤪
Yes, it's not the most enjoyable chore! haha
Have 30 min showers! 30 min is ideal!
haha I'd need the BIGGEST water tank for that!
And yes Matt, my family trained me to have short showers 😂
Fiberglass it.